Gotta Have Fate (Winslow Brothers)

Maria has always been a really good fucking person—light and love and kindness.

And I can’t deny that I still adore her. Adore who she is. Adore what my bond with her gave me.

Because of her, I learned how to be in a relationship.

How to be a boyfriend.

And even though we haven’t been together for many years, she’ll always have a special place in my heart. You just don’t forget your first love, even if you’ve moved on.

I don’t hesitate to type out a response.

Me: Hey, Maria. It’s so good to hear from you. I hope you’re doing well. And yes, I’m getting married. It’s crazy that we’ve reached the age where getting married is normal. I guess this means we’re old now, huh? LOL. Anyway, I’m glad you messaged me. I’m thankful, too.

Phone back to the nightstand, I look down at a still-sleeping Charlotte and smile. I wrap my arm around her back and pull her closer to me. She’s warm and adorable, and her sexy little body feels like heaven pressed up against mine.

Fuck. This woman. She’s going to be my wife soon.

And I lie there just like that until her sleepy voice fills my ears ten or so minutes later.

“Rem?” she asks. “You awake?”

“Yeah, baby,” I say and lean down to press a kiss to her forehead.

“What time did you get in last night?”

“After five.”

“Oh boy.” She snorts and curls her body even closer to mine. “That’s late.”

“Tell me about it,” I respond on a half-chuckle.

“What did you guys end up doing anyway?” she questions and leans up on one elbow to meet my eyes. “I mean, I know a strip club and Taco Bell were involved, but what did you do after Jude called me?”

Instantly, memories of that fucking fortune-teller fill my head.

Her crazy-ass words about heartbreak repeating like a silent mantra.

“Uh…” I pause and search her eyes for a brief moment, for some reason completely unsure what I should tell her. Though, a second later, I make a snap decision. “We went to the lake house.”

That takes her aback. “You drove out to Greenwood Lake?”

I nod and force a smile to my lips. But on the inside, I’m wondering why in the hell I left out the whole fortune-teller part. It’s not like I actually believed that bullshit. So, why wouldn’t I just tell her the truth about it?

Good question, bro.

“Don’t tell me you woke up Brad and Paula,” Char says, thankfully pulling me from my crazy, unwanted thoughts.

“No.” I shake my head. “Just Brad. Ty and Jude were being dumbasses.”

“Sounds about right.” She snorts and places one hand on my bare chest. “So, it was a good night?”

“Well…the night got off to a bit of a rocky start, but it ended on a pretty good fucking note,” I answer, smiling down at her. “It was definitely fun hanging out on the boat like we used to do when we were kids. I swear, it’s been years since we’ve done that.”

Charlotte’s responding smile matches mine. “Your aunt and uncle love that cabin, don’t they?”

“Yeah,” I respond and press another kiss to her hair. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up selling the New York apartment and just moving out there permanently. I honestly think it’s where they’re happiest.”

“Do you think you’d ever consider something like that?”

I tilt my head to the side in confusion. “Something like what?”

“Moving somewhere else.”

“Like where, exactly?”

“I don’t know.” Char shrugs one shoulder, brushing it against my chest. “Anywhere that’s not New York. Another city. Different state.”

I need exactly zero time to think about that question.

“Hell no,” I state without any doubts. “I’ll never leave New York. This is my city. It’s always been my city. I can’t picture a life anywhere else.”

“Oh, okay.” Charlotte nods at my words, but she doesn’t say anything else. Instead, her gaze focuses on the way her fingers trace imaginary lines on my chest.

When silence starts to fill the space between us, I slide my fingers under her chin and lift her eyes to meet mine.

“You okay?” I ask, quickly realizing that I haven’t asked her about work yet. I’m certain she put in some seriously long hours last night, and it was related to a project that’s been stressing her for months. Headhunting is a difficult business to be in, but with how quickly Charlotte has climbed the corporate ladder within her current company since graduation, she’s more than shown she can handle it. That doesn’t mean there won’t ever be hard days, though. “Everything went okay with work last night?”

“Yeah, it went okay.”

I furrow my brow. “Just okay?”

“It went well,” she expands. “Really well, actually. My boss told me she was impressed with how I ran the project. Which, when it comes to her, is a true rarity. I mean, the woman would rather fire an employee than give out compliments.”